1. Field
The present invention relates generally to tape drives for reading cartridges having tape for magnetically storing data. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tape drive having an improved buckler for buckling and unbuckling a cartridge leader coupled with the storage tape to a drive leader of the tape drive.
2. Related Art
Tape drives are widely used for storing information in digital form. These tape drives commonly use a storage tape having a thin film of magnetic material which receives the information. Typically, the storage tape is moved between a pair of spaced apart reels, past a data transducer to record and/or read back information from the storage tape.
In one type of tape drive system, one of the reels is part of the tape drive, while the other reel is part of a removable cartridge. For this type of tape drive system, the reel that is a part of the tape drive is commonly referred to as a take-up reel, while the reel that is a part of the cartridge is commonly referred to as a cartridge reel. With this system, upon insertion of the cartridge into the tape drive, it is necessary to couple the storage tape on the cartridge reel to the take-up reel of the tape drive. After tape operations, such as reading and/or writing data to the tape, are completed, the storage tape may be uncoupled from the take-up reel prior to removing the cartridge from the tape drive system.
Typically, the storage tape is attached to a cartridge leader that terminates in a buckle, and the take-up reel is coupled to a drive leader that terminates in a buckle pin. The buckle pin is for interfitting with the buckle to complete a “buckling” of the pin and the buckle. The buckling may occur at some point after insertion of the tape cartridge into the tape drive, in an automated buckling process implemented by a buckler.
A prior art buckler 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The buckler 20 includes a tube shaped section 110 that pivots on a buckler pin 98. The buckler 20 includes an upper arm 112 and a spaced apart, lower arm (not illustrated) which rotate with the tube shaped section 110 to cantilever ends of the upper arm 112 and the lower arm away from the tube shaped section 110. The buckler 20 includes a second component 102 that is attached to and is operable to rotate relative to the upper arm 112 on a connector pin 104, the rotation causing a tapered lip 118 of the second component 102 to cantilever away from the upper arm 112. A spring 106 biases the second component 102 to swing away from the upper arm 112.
The second component 102 includes a pair of spaced apart buckler retainers 96 (upper buckle retainer identified). The design of the buckler retainers 96 can be varied. In this prior art example, the buckle retainers 96 are designed to hold the buckle pin described above (not illustrated in FIG. 1) near outer edges of the buckle pin. The buckler 20 operates by disposing the buckle pin with the buckle as the components of the buckler 20 rotate and cantilever as described above. Once the buckler 20 has disposed the buckle pin with the buckle, a motor that rotates the cartridge reel operates to pull on the drive leader, which in turn pulls on the buckle, thereby causing the storage tape to be pulled from the cartridge reel. Generally, this action causes complete seating of the buckle pin in the buckle at some point in the tape path. However, this type of buckling operation still fails to complete buckling on occasion, and an improved system and method of buckling is desirable.